Improvement in bird-food holders



S. E. TOMPKINS.

Bird-Fond Holde r Patented March 16, 1875 THE GRAPHIQCOJHOTO rLlfHJQ 841 PARK PLAGCJLY- UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

SAMUEL E. TOMPKINS, OF SING SING, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN BIRD-FOOD HOLDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 160,853, dated March 16, 1875; application filed November 14, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL E. TOMPKINS, of Sing Sing, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Bird-Food Holder, of which the following is a specification:

My invention consists of a kind of griping tongs for holding sugar-lumps, bread, cuttlebone, pieces of fruit, and the like, with a griping stand or foot adapted for temporarily attaching it to the wires of the cage, so as to hold the food more permanently than the wires of the cage hold it in the common method. of pressing the lumps-between the wires; also, to hold it independent of and inside of the wires, so that the wires will not be soiled, and the particles will not be thrown out so much on the floor.

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved food-holder, together with some portions of the cage shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a plan Vi6 W. Fig. 3 is a plan View showing a modification of the part for attaching the holder to the wires. Fig. 4 is a detail show- I ing modifications of the jaws.

. a kind of tongs to hold lumps O of sugar or other food, and having a slide-loop, B; or it may be a screw or other contrivance for pressing them up to gripe the food. D represents a pair of griping-jaws for attaching the holder to the cage, to support it in the right position for holding the food, said jaws being suitably connected to the holding-jaws for so supporting them. These attaching-jaws may be arranged in the form of gripers, with a gripingslide, E, to attach to the cage by griping two wires, F, between them, as in Figs. 1 and 2; or they may be contrived to effect the same result by being placed between the wires, and

turned a quarter of a revolution to force the wires between them on each side of a rivet, G, connecting them together at the middle, one or both of the jaws being sprung each side of the rivet, so that the wires will be received andbound between them by so turning; but it is not material in what manner they are arranged, so that they will connect temporarily in a simple manner. For instance, a screw may be employed, as suggested, for closing the jaws A; but the sliding loop or the turning or equivalent contrivance will be preferable to the screw, as being quicker to operate.

It will be convenient for adjusting the food to the right height to have the holding-jaws pivoted to the attachingjaws, as represented at I, but it is not very material.

The faces of the holding-jaws may be roughened by corrugating or punching them, as represented in Fig. 4, to insure the holding of the food better than if smooth.

By preference, the jaws will be made of thin strips of spring metal; but they may be made of spring-wire or stiff biLlS or rods; but in the latter case the bars would be jointed together.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of holding-jaws A and attaching-jaws D, constructed and arranged to temporarily. attach to a birdcage and hold a lump of food, substantially in the manner described.

2. The jaws A, slide B,jaws D, and slide E, combined and arranged substantially as specified.

3. The jaws A, pivoted to the jaws D, substantially as specified.

' SAM. E. TOMPKINS.

Witnesses:

T. B. MOSHER, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

